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CHAPTER 11

Paige sucked in a breath as she pulled her mind from the scary scenario. She wrote a note at the top of her page to find something silver for protection, and then she drew a large star next to it.

As she flipped to the next entry, she glanced down at her bracelet.

“I wonder if you’re silver,” she murmured to the charms.

She studied it a moment longer, pondering if the charms had meaning. It had been her mother’s bracelet. Had she gathered the charms from specific places? Vacation destinations? Birthday gifts? Cases she’d solved while working at the library?

A slight breeze interrupted her thoughts as her dragon partner buzzed past her and plopped onto the desk. His little teal legs dangled over the side.

He swiped at his brow. “I’ve gathered a collection of resources. I’ll start summarizing the information over dinner and have everything prepared for you tomorrow morning.”

“Need some help?”

“Ah– Uh…“ Dewey stammered, scratching at his forehead. “No, of course not. I will have everything done for you. I’m your research assistant. That’s my job.”

“Well, sure, and I’m certain you’re wonderful at it. But I should learn not only how to do the research but also more about this mirror thing.”

“You can learn it from the notes I provide.”

Paige drew her chin back to her chest and offered a timid nod. “All right.”

Dewey flitted across to the stack of books he’d amassed.

Paige twisted to face him. “It’s just that… Well, that stack is huge. I thought you may need some help.”

Dewey lifted the top book and slammed it against the stack. “Are you trying to take my job, Paige? Is that what you’d like? Me, out on the street? Homeless. Jobless. Useless!”

Her jaw dropped open and her forehead crinkled. “N-no,” she stammered. “Of course not! I’m not trying to take your job. I just thought you would like some help and company. That stack is huge!”

Dewey eyed the stack of books, taller than him.

“At least I could help you move them to your nest,” Paige offered. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m sorry, Dewey. You’re not useless. I wouldn’t know where to begin if you weren’t helping me. Thought I’d return the favor.”

The dragon’s shoulders slumped as he placed a paw against the stack. He waved the other paw at her. “I’m sorry. I’m…sensitive. This is all I got to do with the last librarian. If I don’t research, I have no job.”

Paige scrunched her features and shook her head, her ponytail flicking back and forth. “That can’t be true.”

“It is,” Dewey said, hefting the first book from the stack and flying away, weighted down by the heavy tome.

Paige scurried from her seat and swiped the next two books off the stack before closing the gap between them. “What did you do while the previous librarian was in the field?”

“Research.”

“And when he retrieved artifacts?”

They reached the bottom of the nest. “Research.”

Dewey shot up toward the nest, leaving Paige to climb the stairs.

She hurried up the stairs and arrived at the top winded. “You’ve really got to stop dusting me like that. I have to climb all those stairs! Now–”

He darted past her as she dumped the books on top of the one he’d left next to the chaise, and disappeared into the library. Paige huffed as she hurried down the many stairs and reached the bottom, only to find him shooting upward with another book.

“Wait up! We didn’t finish our conversation!” She shook her head as she wound back through the archives to the stack of books near the BookTron.

After loading her arms with three more hefty volumes, she hurried across the space and up the stairs again.